“It’s beautiful, my love.” Manon kissed his temple and moved lower, kissing every inch until she reached his whiskered mouth. “You’re in need of a shave before tomorrow.”
“Then light an extra candle or two and turn me back into a civilized city man.” Pascal blew the stray wood shavings from the box, placed it in the middle of the table, and leaned back to let her lather the soap on his stubble.
Gently she moved the razor with the grain of his beard, removing two weeks’ of growth and restoring a decade of youth back to his appearance.
“There is my handsome husband. I knew he had to be under there somewhere.” She sat in his lap and kissed his freshly smoothed skin.
Pascal wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply before tucking her head to his chest.
“Do you miss town? The bustle, the gossip, the people?” Pascal asked, kissing the top of her freshly scrubbed hair and breathing in the scent of soap.
“Oh, in odd moments, I miss having news. But when I am there, I miss our peace and quiet,” Manon said, sitting up straighter in his lap. “I love our little cabin and our little family. And very soon I shall have the very last thing I could ever want.”
“And what, my sweet, would that be?”
“A daughter.”
Pascal blinked a few times with comprehension, then held her closer to his chest. “I was hoping you might be.... But how can you be sure it’s a girl?”
“Because a mother knows these things. She just feels like a girl. She should be here in April, so no spreading the news for another two or three months yet.”
“I hope you’re right. And I hope she’s just like her mother in every way.”
“Oh, I hope there is some of you in her, my darling man. I want her to know the best of both our worlds.”
* * *
Gabrielle stood before the small mirror in Elisabeth and Gilbert’s bedroom, smiling softly at her reflection. Her riot of red curls was tamed in a knot at the nape of her neck.
“Beautiful,” Manon proclaimed, wrapping her arms around Gabrielle and kissing her freckled cheek. “It gives me more joy than you can imagine to see you happy, sister.”
“Thank you, Manon. I didn’t think it was possible for the longest time, but Gaspard is a good man as ever breathed and our businesses are thriving. I don’t believe the Queen in her palace could ask for more happiness than I have today.”
“And I can think of no one who deserves it more. I only wish Claudine could be with us to share today. She loved you and would have been so pleased to see you well settled.”
“She is, Manon,” Gabrielle spoke with certainty. “This dress was made from the wool Laurent gave me for her sake. It was the dress I wore when I opened my shop and met my Gaspard. She was with me then, and she’ll be with me today.”
Though Manon did not completely trust the French notions of the afterlife and the idea of heaven and hell, she hoped this once that Gabrielle was right.
“Let’s get along to church, sweetheart. Your young man is waiting,” Elisabeth announced at the doorway.
Gabrielle nodded and they descended into the shop below. Gilbert had borrowed one of Alexandre’s smaller carriages and had it hitched to their two good-natured workhorses. It was nothing so grand as Manon’s own parade into town on her wedding day, nor even the subdued elegance of Claudine’s wedding that was shrouded in mourning for Emmanuelle. But as Gilbert helped Gabrielle into the carriage, more than a few neighbors peered out to see the beautifully dressed bride on her way to church.
Pascal and Manon rode behind Gabrielle along with the children and the Lefebvre family. Nicole glowed to have Manon back at home for a few nights at least. As much as Manon grieved for Claudine, no one missed her as much as Nicole, with the sole exception of Laurent. The Robichaux pew would be empty that day, and Manon could not blame him for not being able to participate in the joyous celebration.
At the front of the church, Gabrielle and Gaspard pledged themselves to each other. As they spoke their vows, Manon felt the warm grip of Pascal’s fingers lacing in hers. The couple smiled broadly to the small crowd assembled as they walked back down the aisle to the world beyond. Manon could not help but echo that smile, for her dear friend would have her measure of happiness. It might be fleeting, but Manon held out hope that Gabrielle would have many happy years before her.
She took Pascal’s arm to follow the newlyweds down into the street below and rubbed her abdomen where her precious secret grew into a child. A child who would someday grow to be a young woman. Manon looked at her friend, bathed in the autumn sunlight, as she kissed her husband’s blushing cheek for the entire colony to see.
I hope you know a love like this one, my little dove. It will be second only to the love I have for you.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
DUTY TO THE CROWN
Aimie K. Runyan
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Aimie K. Runyan’s Duty to the Crown.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. We open with Manon’s forced reentry into French society when the tenant farmer discovers her gathering herbs. Why do you feel she was so reluctant to tell the man about her connection to the landlord?
2. Why does Claudine find herself so frequently frustrated with Emmanuelle? How do you think Emmanuelle feels about Claudine’s treatment of herself and others?
3. Gabrielle has lived as a sort of adopted daughter of the Beaumont family for many years, but doesn’t feel like she is fully part of the family. How does this manifest itself and why is this the case?
4. Sometimes the treatment of Manon by the townspeople is clearly hostile, but do you feel some of the mistreatment is imagined or exaggerated—even preemptively—by Manon? Is her hypersensitivity warranted?
5. We see Claudine evolve from her self-centered ways throughout the course of the book. What do you think is the turning point (or points), and what motivates her to change?
6. Why does Gabrielle accept marriage to Patenaude? Do you think her past made her more likely to accept his offer? Why do you feel she had resisted courting in general?
7. What inspires Claudine to tell the truth to Laurent about her reasons for not devoting herself to her marriage entirely?
8. Do you think Manon’s hesitance to form a real relationship with Pascal is justified? How does Pascal’s pursuit of Manon differ from Heno’s?
9. Gabrielle’s tryst with René was exceedingly risky to her already precarious social status. Why do you think she chose to take the risk, considering the potentially disastrous consequences?
10. Why does Claudine insist on helping at her parents’ farm herself rather than sending (possibly more capable) help?
11. What does Gabrielle’s mending business represent, as well as her move to Ville-Marie? What do you think was the catalyst that allowed her to accept the possibility of a new life?
12. Does Manon succeed completely in finding a life among the French that allows her to embrace her native heritage? Do you think her ultimate decisions will permit her to be happy?
Duty to the Crown Page 36